Rail strikes to bring more disruption across Great Britain on Saturday
Only about 20% of normal train services will run on Saturday as another strike by railway workers brings disruption to lines across Great Britain.
Network Rail urged passengers to “only travel by train if absolutely necessary”, with about half of the network closed all day and those trains running only operating between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
More than 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 15 train operating companies are halting work on Saturday in a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions. Services will start later than normal the next day as staff return to posts.
The RMT strike on Saturday coincides with strikes by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association(TSSA) at Avanti West Coast, c2c and Transpennine Express. TSSA members carried out a 24-hour strike at Cross Country from midday on Wednesday and another at GWR from midday on Thursday. Drivers from the union Aslef also went out on strike on Wednesday, hitting the last day of Conservative party conference.
The strikes over pay and conditions are latest in a rolling programme by unions across the sector this year. Last Saturday coordinated action between the RMT, Aslef and some TSSA and Unite members knocked out trains between London and other major cities.
Anyone who wished to travel on Saturday should check first with National Rail Enquiries or train operator websites for updates, Network Rail said.
Passengers with Saturday tickets whose journey is cancelled or rescheduled can either get a refund or can use it to travel on Friday or another day up to and including Tuesday. Season ticket holders are entitled to compensation through the delay repay scheme.
Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, said: “Despite our
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